Dreaming of QuotesFor lack of a better title
by Angel46
Summary: When Artemis is sucked into an endless room and offered a choice between gold and his freedom, he unwittingly picks gold and is swept into a room with only one other occupant, one who has been there for 199 years....


Dreaming of Quotes

Excerpt from Artemis Fowl's diary, disk 3

(encrypted)

It seems so long ago that this happened, and I can scarcely believe that it happened yesterday, nor have I any proof that this place even exists. It all began as my eyelids drooped and I began to fall asleep . . .

Artemis opened his blue eyes and found that he was in a room that seemed to span an eternity, excepting one door a few feet away, and a small, unobtrusive sign. As observant as he was, he read it over swiftly. It appeared to be an odd sort of rhyme:

Child of children, do not expect to be the same again,

Should you enter through this door, you won't find yourself aching for more.

For behind this barrier, you will realize your greatest dreams, and worst fear.

It holds but one room behind, no one at home shall hear you cry.

Is gold really worth the price you paid? Wasn't there someone else you could have saved?

You should be asking yourself this, or perhaps you should give this door a miss.

Who wants to hang with a stiff like you? Not me, and that's certainly true.

So if you've a heart, please don't go on. You may not ever remember the sun.

But if you've got a nose for gold, and a longing for riches untold,

Then by all means come in, and find out what happens then.

But one small warning, about the greed you bring.

Simply be aware, of finding more than treasure there.

It was ridiculous, obviously someone trying to scare people like Artemis away. Resolutely, he put his hand on the doorknob, twisted it, and stepped inside . . .inside a huge library, with dusty books on the shelves, and a teenage girl paging through a novel at a nearby table. He studied the girl, taking in her appearance. She had shoulder length, light brown hair pulled back into a messy half-bun of sorts, pencils stuck in at odd places, strands falling down around her eyes and framing her oval-shaped face. She had a healthy figure, not really attractive, but not hideous either. She wore a light brown sweater as her shirt, with quarter sleeves and a denim skirt that went below her ankles, where she had the most hideous hi-top sneakers on. She adjusted her oval glasses on her nose, sighing heavily, obviously unaware of Artemis' presence in the room. Artemis cleared his voice loudly and stepped forward, shutting the door behind him. 

She started, her head snapping up to stare at him in shocked surprise, jaw dropping, "Where did you come from?" She cried hoarsely, slamming her novel shut and striding over to him, a pencil clutched tightly in her right hand. 

He replied coolly, unaffected by her surprise, "I assume, Miss, that I came from the same place you did, my mother's womb, but aside from the obvious, I entered this room through that door." Her jaw had slackened, and she was staring at him with a mixture of painful fascination and fear. "And if you would kindly shut your mouth, we can get down to business. Where is the gold the poem spoke of?"

The girl closed her mouth, but as she did so, she burst into a fit of hysterical giggles. When the laughing had subsided, she smiled at a slightly confused Artemis, "Oh you, poor, poor fool. There is no gold here, nor is there a way out."

Artemis sneered at her in a derogatory manner, "Of course there is a way out. What about the way I came in?" She didn't reply, but had such a smirk on her face that he turned to leave the room, only to find that there was no doorway, simply another shelf of books, with no trace of a seam or crack, "It's a secret passage." He said confidently, tilting various books, trying to find the lever that he was sure would open it.

She shook her head slowly, sadly, in an abrupt change of attitude, "You can't get out; it's impossible." 

He turned back to her, caught by the sincerity in her tone, "Don't be ridiculous, girl. Nothing is impossible." She didn't reply, simply sat back down and continued reading her novel. After about an hour, Artemis sat down in the seat beside her, "Well, I'm done."

She glanced up at him, gray eyes glinting at him, "For good?"

Artemis sighed, "I don't know, it's hopeless!"

She nodded solemnly at him, "O, dark, dark, dark amid the blaze of noon; Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse, without all hope of day!" She exclaimed the words with a passion, "Apparently John Milton felt things were hopeless too."

He looked at the girl in surprise when she quoted John Milton from Paradise Lost, "What's your name?" He asked suddenly, figuring that if he was stuck here for the moment, it may as well be bearable. "I am Artemis Fowl the II."

She stared at him for a moment, before replying finally, "Darcy . . .yes, I think that's it. . .yeah, I'm sure it is. My name is Darcy." Darcy blinked once, "I wish I could say it was a pleasure to meet you Artemis, but under the circumstances, you'll understand if I waive that formality."

Artemis gave her a disbelieving look, "You don't know your own name?"

Darcy glared at him, but the glare seemed to be more sad than angry, "When you're alone for so long," she said softly, "You tend to forget things."

He rolled his eyes and retorted, "And how long Darcy, have you been alone for?"

Without batting an eyelash she replied coldly, "I don't know. I stopped trying to count because I had nowhere else to write it down." Before he could ask where she wrote it all down, she indicated a large panel of wall behind him, "Every mark stands for a year. I ran out of carving room. At first I tried to carve it into other things, but by morning the mark had disappeared and the object was as good as new again. Once, I tore up the whole room, ruining books, breaking bookshelves, and shattering the cups, but when I woke up the next morning, it was like nothing had ever happened. Everything was back to its normal state."

Artemis was silent for a moment, digesting all this outrageous information, "I'm sorry, Darcy. I didn't mean what I said--"

Darcy waved a hand of dismissal, "It doesn't matter if you meant it or not. 'Words make their way in the world without a master.' That was from the book 'Two Words' by Eva Luna. Too right she was."

Artemis looked around the room, drinking in his surroundings, "So, there's no way out, eh?"

Darcy shook her head, looking rather small and pale in her seat, "I hate this room! I hate it! It's evil!" She nearly burst into tears, and it was obvious that she was on the verge of a breakdown from being alone so long.

Artemis tried to comfort her awkwardly, "It's not evil. It's not as though the room is doing it on purpose."

"Oh no?" She asked, a wild look gleaming in her icy gray eyes, "You don't? So you think it's a wonderful place to be? A place for your tea and crumpets and your little parties?" 

Artemis shook his head, "No, I'm not saying that. Here's an example: A doe is standing by the highway watching the cars zoom past. She steps out into the road and is hit. In her eyes, the cars are evil because they've ended up killing her. In our eyes, cars are useful things for transportation. Humans never intended for deer to get hit by cars, but the doe stumbles onto it anyway, and because she doesn't know what it is, she assumes it is evil, because it affects her in a way it doesn't affect us. You see?"

Understanding was starting to dawn in her face, but then she shook her head, "But you don't know that this wasn't made to harm people. For all you know it could be a torture device!"

He replied smoothly, "And for all you know it could be the equivalent of the Fountain of Youth. You shouldn't assume the worst. Besides, everything has a dark side. Not everything shows it, so I guess you could say that it has a possibility of being evil."

Darcy looked at her feet, and those ugly hi-top sneakers, quoting softly, "As dark as the Evil that lurks in shadows, the darkness in the human soul is just as foul and more potent than any dragon, werewolf, or beast on earth. The potential of Evil is the thing that all men fear most." She sighed that sigh of hers again, "Yes, I suppose you're right, Artemis, but still, there's just one question that has always haunted me, from day one. Why me?" She gave a short bark of laughter, "It's selfish, I suppose, to wish that someone else had been sucked into this cursed room, but I can't help it. I'm only human."

Artemis stood up again, clasping his hands behind his back, "Years, you say? Are you sure it isn't days, because you haven't aged at all from what I can see."

Darcy stood up beside him, walking over to a corner in the back of the room, picking up a pile of food, "I'm sure it's years. You count every day when you're caged like a dog. Time flow is different in here. I still don't understand it, but as they say: 'the world keeps spinning round', but you and I don't change a day."

Artemis' logical brain refused to believe such a possibility, "Is it possible that you've made an error in your calculations?"

She bustled around, setting the room to rights, standing on her tiptoes to put various books back in place, "Oh, of course it's possible. As I've said before, I'm only human. But, I counted a day every time I fell asleep and woke up. So, yes, I may be off about two years, but other than that, it's as accurate as possible."

Artemis watched Darcy cleaning, and saw the care with which she treated the books, "If you hate it here so much, Darcy, why do you take such good care of it?"

She finished putting the books back and stood there for a long moment, with her back to him, before she replied, "You learn to be grateful for what you have. That's all."

Artemis was beginning to wonder about the state of her mind from all those cryptic comments. If she really had been alone that long, which he doubted, then she probably would have gone insane. "So, Darcy, how did you get to this place?"

She shrugged, plopping back down into her plush chair, "I don't know. I fell asleep one day, then woke up in a huge white room with a door and a sign that said something about this room, I can't remember what it was. Something about greed, I think. Anyway, I walked in and the door disappeared behind me, and I've been here ever since."

An idea was starting to form in Artemis' mind, "Something about greed? Would it happen to be anything like being aware of finding more than treasure there?"

She looked at him strangely, "You know, I think it was something like that. How do you know that? Is that how you came here too?" When he nodded, her eyes sparked with the same idea in his, "So what we both have in common is the sign. What were you like before you came here? Tell me the truth, because it's very important. Were you kind, generous, greedy, selfish, or what?"

Artemis took a long time before answering. Her questions were forcing him to take a good look at himself, and he didn't like what he saw. "I was selfish." He said finally, "I was greedy, selfish, a liar, and all other sorts of things. People usually get hurt because of one of my schemes, and someone else is always taking my punishment. My motto was Aurum Est Postestas--"

"Gold is power." She finished for him. When Artemis gave her a questioning look, she elaborated, "My motto was Agnitio Est Postestas. Knowledge is power. My warning wasn't about finding more than treasure, it said beware of finding more than knowledge here." She looked down at the ground, tears running down her cheeks as she finished, "I didn't know that I would pay such a terrible price."

You could almost hear the gears turning in Artemis' mind, "But if my warning was about gold, then why isn't there any treasure here? It doesn't make sense."

"It didn't to me either, until I fell asleep and woke up the next day. This started out as an empty room, then it filled itself the next day with hundreds of thousands of books." She looked around the huge room, "I think that it has every book ever written in here." Artemis was about to argue when she continued, "I know it can't fit them all at once, but when I want to read something on a certain subject, I find it."

Well, at least that much made sense to Artemis, "So you're saying, that should I fall asleep, I will wake up surrounded by gold and treasure?"

"Maybe not so drastic, but that's the general idea. You just wait and see if that's how it doesn't happen." She said, challenging him to defy her with a defiant lift of her chin.

Artemis nodded, not really in the mood to fight with her, but something in her American accent intrigued him, "So, Darcy, where and when are you from?"

"You mean what year? I'm from America, 1804. What about you?" She inquired out of mere politeness, not really knowing that she had just proven her theory about time flow to Artemis.

Artemis was nearly speechless, but not quite, "Ireland, 2003. You've been in here for 199 years?"

Darcy furrowed her eyebrows, thinking for a moment and adding up the years inside her head, "Yes, that sounds about right, give or take a few months."

He nodded, satisfied with the time range, and stood up, plucking a book off of the shelves, "So, this room gives you your heart's desires, correct?" He flipped through the pages slowly, marveling at how well it was preserved.

She shrugged, "That's my theory." 

He glanced over her modern outfit and asked suddenly, "I'm fairly certain they don't have high-tops and brown sweaters like that in America, 199 years ago. How did you get those?"

She didn't seem concerned by his suspicions, seemingly nonchalant, "The same way I get the food. I need it."

Artemis frowned, snapping the book shut abruptly, "You mean you will it here?"

"No, I need it. I don't just press a button and order it up, it comes because that's what I really need." She looked slightly frustrated, as though unsure as how to express herself. Artemis thought he understood what she was saying, but its meaning just barely eluded him. He didn't understand why she couldn't simply will something there if it came when she needed it. Surely she was thinking about it on some subconscious level… Darcy's yawn interrupted his thoughts, "I don't know how the time zones are in Ireland, but here in bookworld, it's time for sleep."

Artemis nodded, suddenly feeling tired himself and stifling a yawn, "No, the time zones here suit me just fine, Darcy." Without another word, he removed the cushions from the chairs and constructed a makeshift pallet on the marble floors. Darcy had a pile of blankets and pillows off to one side that sufficed for her bedding, and just before she laid down, she quoted, "Alas! 'tis time I have gone here and there, and made myself a motley to the view, gor'd mine own thoughts, sold cheap what is most dear---" With that final quote, she laid down her head, and said no more.

By the time Artemis woke up, Darcy was already sitting in her chair, reading a thick, dusty novel. When he coughed, she glanced up at him with a neutral expression on her face, "I was right." She stated simply, by way of greeting.

Artemis didn't have to ask about what she meant, for he knew. He ran a hand through his raven black hair and stood up wearily, coldness seeping into his bones. With a brief chill racing down his spine, he turned around, and saw the largest heap of gold ever known to man, sitting right next to him. For the second time in Artemis' entire life, he was struck speechless at the sight. What he also noticed was that the room had practically doubled in all proportions. Finally, he managed to croak out, "Amazing. Absolutely amazing."

Darcy didn't say anything and when Artemis turned around, she had an expression on her face, mixed between a smirk and a sad smile, "Yes, I thought so too at first. Everything I could ever want and need…except human contact."

Artemis' heart sank slightly as he remembered how long Darcy must have been alone. "Why didn't it drive you insane? By all accounts, you should have lost your mind, but you are exhibiting no signs of strain."

"Oh? Are you quite sure about that, Monsieur genius?" She gave him an ironic smile, "In case you haven't noticed, I quote every chance I get. Wouldn't you call that just a little unbalanced?"

Artemis gave an approximation of a shrug, "I've seen much worse from people who have been stranded for 3 _weeks_, Darcy. You are quite sane, compared to several people. In fact, I wouldn't even refer to you as unbalanced, simply philosophical."

She emitted a little noise between a laugh and a hopeless sigh, "If you say so . . ." She was sitting in her armchair and munching on a bag of potato chips. Her grey eyes glanced around the room, resting occasionally on old favorites in books.

Artemis sat down and ran a hand through his hair again. He was feeling, believe it or not, homesick. He thought that he would give up the entire world again, if only he could see Butler and his family again. He recalled a verse from the poem that warned him: Was gold really worth the price you paid? Wasn't there someone else you could have saved? Yes…he could have saved himself from his evil greed. His father had always told him gold is power, but now he was discovering that it was really a prison, golden chains that had cost him his friends and family.

Darcy sat bolt upright, eyes darting about the room wildly, and whispering things under her breath.

He noticed her restlessness, "What's wrong?"

"There's something very different in here…and it's not the size or the gold making me feel this way…" She muttered distractedly, "I think there's a breeze in here…"

Artemis jumped up, "Is that possible? If it is…it means that somewhere, there's a way out!"

She stood up as well, looking horrified and delighted at the same time, "Artemis…the door…it's back…"

He turned around slowly, not daring to believe his eyes, the door, his way out, had returned. Artemis' breath caught in his throat and he took a gentle hold of the handle and opened the door, which led to his room, where it was daylight now. He looked back at Darcy, giving her one of his very rare smiles, "Darcy! Come on! Let's go! This is the way home…" When she didn't answer, he turned to face her, "Darcy?"

What he saw made his heart plummet, for Darcy was standing there, tears glimmering on her eyelashes and falling onto her ugly sneakers, "Artemis—I—"

Keeping one hand on the door, he stared at her incredulously, "You're not coming?!?! Why not?"

She was trembling now, and crying harder than ever, "Artemis, you don't understand. I can't leave all this--" she gestured all around her at the books, "This is my home."

Artemis let out a very undignified snort, "Darcy, use your head! This is your prison, not home. Besides, I can buy you all the books you could ever want."

She took a step away from his outstretched hand, wrapping her arms around herself in a make-shift hug, "I can't….the world out there…it's scary, Artemis. I'm safe here…and I have everything I could ever want…"

Artemis was despairing and getting frustrated at the same time, "But, Darcy, I'll be out there. I have friends, we can all help you." He said, thinking of Butler and Juliet.

Darcy could no longer meet his eyes as she continued, crying silently, "This is all I've known. I don't know what'll happen out there….Agnitio Est Potestas, remember?"

His jaw dropped slightly, and he closed it with a cold look in his eye, "I was wrong, Darcy. You are insane. You believe that this torture, this hell is your home." He shook his head and made as though to leave, "I'm through trying to convince you. If you want to stay here, that's your mistake. But, I won't be held responsible."

Darcy cried out loud now and she rushed over, wrapping her arms around him tightly, crying her eyes out before whispering out another quote, modifying a few words, "Artemis, you're a good person. Don't let the world get in the way of your heart. Have mercy on my soul, I will never let you know where my mind has been. Angels never came down, There's no one here they wanna hang around. But if they knew, if they knew you at all then one by one the angels, angels would fall." She managed a watery smile, "That was a song by Melissa Etheridge."

"You're crazy." He said again, but this time it was with a hint of sadness and admiration.

"Now go." She whispered, pushing him into his room, wiping a tear from her eye, and her final words to him were ones he would never, ever forget, "Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is yours. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear." And with those famous last words, she looked straight down into his icy blue eyes, and shut the door, locking herself into her eternal prison for all the rest of eternity.

Excerpt from Artemis Fowl's diary, disk 3

(encrypted, continued)

And that is where I fell asleep in my bed again. Now, as the early morning sunlight streams into the room and I hear my mother humming downstairs, Juliet is complaining, and Butler is silently steadfast as always. None of them are aware of this phenomenon, and now I fear that it never happened. And if not for the pain in my heart, I would dismiss it. But I cannot, and I know that it will stay with me forevermore. 

--End of Selection

Okay, so we know that this could never happen . . .at least figuratively. In actuality, thousands of people are isolated from everyone else because of greed, obsessions, selfishness, and whatever else you can imagine. It may be that people cannot leave their isolation, much like the room in the story. And you, like Artemis, have the key to their shell. You simply have to open the door, and give them the chance to step out into the world. Like Darcy, they might not accept the chance for freedom, because maybe they too, are scared, but at least you know you gave them the opportunity. So, do the world a favor and be kind to someone. Maybe you could be their doorway to the real world.

And for those of you who are the 'Darcys' of this world, don't be afraid to step out and open up yourself to the world. Not everyone is as vindictive as you might think.


End file.
